Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-04-15

A FEATHEleED GENIUS. NJ
aax Ceuzaa Parrot nA,s Il the Scale Of In.
tsllsaasaliA 81 = =, =
From Southern Echoes. \
About tiity years ago th4ere lived in
Philadelphia family named Miller,
who kept q hotel on Chestnut street
(san Miller's). One day he bouh hit an
'"Stralian parrot. He was prob ably
three years old. Sometime in the be
ginning of the forties Polly came inn @
the hands of q Wentz family, at Lam
caster, Penn, who had him for per-
haps ten or fifteen years, when he was
sold to a Mr.. Conne}l, in Leacock
township, Lancaster county. Here
he had the misfortune to break his leg,
which disabled him SO that he could
not feed himself properly He came
very near being sacrifices to relieve
him Of his misery, when g Mr.. Crick
successfully splinted and bandaged
the broken limb, and in a short time
healed the fracture.
From this time forth the history OF
Polly's precocity begins. 1t was never
known before what s'was in" the, bird.
Polly was given wide range on the
little farm, where he mingled with
geese, ducks, chickens and pigs, and
by degrees became mimic unparal-
leled by anything recorded in history.
When he cackled any one not aware
OF his presence naturally concluded
that a hen was just glorying over her
aast lay" When he crowed all the
barnyard strutters joined in chorus
to out crow him. When he initiated
the small ''chick" with g. shrill and
quick 'peep'' as if in pain, clucking
mothers would run in the direction
whence the sound came, to the rescue
OF the supposed victim, only to be
confronted by the mischievous, hook
billed counterfeit.
His braying of a mule was perfect in
incubation, but somewhat lacking in
volume, and for that reason was one
OF his very best efforts. No woman
ever laughed more heartily than Polly
could laugh; in fact, so natural was
this imitation that on more than one
occasion persons would stop to listen
to the fun among the women folks of
the house, to be'told on inquiring as
to what was going on that it was "on-
" Polly having q laugh to- himself"
The most natural OF all his limitations.
however, was the crying of a. baby. 1t
was enough to touch the heart of any
tender parent passing the house when
Polly had this theme in hand. Such
sobbing, such holding of breath, and
then bursting out afresh in a. per-
feet scream SIS of pain, made
everybody within hearing and
not knowing the source feel like
suggesting Winslow soothing syrup or
paregoric, and that without delay
One other extraordinary effort of
Polly was the squealing OF dying pig.
Mr.: Crick killed many hogs for the
market and this gave the bird an ex-
cellent opportunity to acquire this
ear-p1ercing refrain. His imitation of
the whining of q puppy and barking OF
a dog were perfect in tho full sense OF
the term. In short, there was nothing
that it undertook to initiate which
was not done to perfection, except the
braying Of the mule.
Polly was happy in his home, but he
finally became too sociable for Mr..
Crick's use, and this was the cause Of
his sale. His obtrusive sociability
consisted in eating from the baby's
hand. One day the baby was eating
candy. Polly wanted some of that
candy, so he just walked up and
took the candy and part OF the
thumb from baby hand. When baby
cried he broke out in a fit of laughing,
which novel concert brought the fanli.
ly to the scene, and from that mo-
ment it was resolved, finally and ir-
revocabiy, that "Polly must CO." He
was at once deprived of his liberty by
being put into his cage and transport
ed to Lancaster, five miles distant, to
be sold. He was kept in a basement
restaurant. where for the first time
saw him, loved him and bought him.
A large volume might be written of
my more than twenty years expert
ence with this wonderful creature; Of
the excursions we made together
through the surrounding country; OF
our trips to various large cities in
Pennsylvania; OF his tricks in gym
nastics, of his accompaniment when
whlstled "Sweet Home;" of his gather
ing up from the floor number Of
coins, carefully bringing them to me
in a perfect roll and placing them in
my hand; and of his ringing e. bell,
carrying little bucket Of W alter, bring
ing my hat, my handkerchief or my
purse when told to do so, and ofa num-
Der OF other equally wonderful feats
Indicating extraordinary sagacity, if
not reasoning powers. But I will con-
tent myself with giving one remark
able episode in his career which I
think most astonishing OF all, and one
IN which [, for one, found great diff
Guilty in fixing the line where "animal
instinct ceases and reasoning faculties
begin"
In 1876 I left for Europe. It oc-
Cured to me that the safest place for
Polly would be the geological gardens
at Philadelphia, and there, according
~, left him. After three years and
three months absence, called at the
ZOO. On entering the bird house I
took a station on the opposite side of
the building from that occu pied by Pol
ly, where the bird could not see me and
then exclaimed: "Where's my Polly?"
Immediately tho bird recognized the
voice Of his former master, became ex.
cited, walking back and forth on his
perch, showing as best he could, by
voice and gesture, that he wished to
ansWe the question by saying Here
am l."
It was g. clear case OF instant recop.